The Other Kind of Companion
by Tee-Cup
Summary: Dylan Keogh has serious doubts about people in general, he doesn't trust them. So, when Connie puts him in charge of showing the new girl the ropes; he can all but hope she's not going to be too much trouble. Of course, nothing ever goes the way Dylan wants it to. I don't own Casualty or any related content.
1. Chapter 1

**Casualty**

 **I don't own Casualty or any related content**

 **The Other Kind of Companion**

 **Chapter 1**

Connie Beauchamp sat opposite the young doctor and observed her curiously. She leaned forward with her elbows on her desk and her eyes slightly narrowed. She knew that the interview was a mere formality and the new girl already had the job, Hanssen knew her father and had requested she be placed in the ED immediately. Honestly, she was over-qualified. She'd trained and worked in Seattle for nine years previously and had only recently come to the UK. Her father was a well-known surgeon in America and Hanssen had met him once, they'd become friends and now the surgeon's daughter wanted to stitch up gashes and plaster bones. She didn't look like the daughter of a professional surgeon, let alone a doctor.

She had golden blonde hair, but her roots were showing. Her hair was tied into two braids both sides of her face and secured with black ties. Her hair was professional enough. She wore a blue and white pinstriped shirt and black leggings with a black suit jacket and white ballet pumps. The outfit wasn't the smartest or most professional look, but her name tag and stethoscope identified her as a member of staff. Connie considered putting her in scrubs but decided it would probably be offensive given her qualifications. The thing that was the most vivid about her was the elaborate eye make-up. She wore varying shades of blue, it was subtle and not over the top, but it was captivating even to Connie. It made her stand out just a little bit from the other doctors.

Doctor Elizabeth Reed was certainly going to be a breath of fresh air for the emergency department.

"So, you trained in Seattle and worked there after?" Connie asked, forcing herself to snap out of her curiosity and conduct the interview as she was supposed to. She hadn't decided if she liked the new girl yet or not.

"Yeah," she replied in her chirpy American accent and Connie held back a wince. "I worked in the emergency department there before moving onto wards. I never really liked wards much though, it's much more exciting dealing with things as they come."

"Exciting?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Knowing I'm helping people when they need it most gives the highest sense of fulfilment to Me." she replied with a smile.

"Wouldn't being a surgeon give you that same sense of excitement?" Connie asked in return, once again curious.

"I didn't want to follow in my father's footsteps. I don't entirely trust surgeons anyway. I'd prefer to be more hands on."

"Right. Well in terms of professionalism I think we're good to go. I'll pair you up with someone to show you the ropes around here and get you going and we'll see where it goes from there." Connie smiled tightly and stood. Elizabeth followed and grinned widely, the two women shook hands and Connie decided she could allow herself a little personal intrigue.

"So where in America are you from?" part of her hoped that she was from somewhere near New York, she wanted some confirmation that it was a good place for her little girl to be.

"Chicago. I was born and raised there and I moved to Seattle when I was eighteen to study medicine." She smiled in return.

"Oh right, I was sort of hoping you came from somewhere near New York." Connie admitted and Elizabeth showed polite interest.

"Oh really? How come? Do you like it there?" she asked politely.

"My daughter's living there, I just want to know she's alright."

"Oh really? How old is she?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.

"She's eight." Connie replied quietly, looking down at her desk and pretending to shuffle papers into order. She didn't want to talk about her own personal life too much.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It must be hard to be separated from her." Elizabeth replied sympathetically and Connie felt a bubble of anger rise up inside of her at the impersonal way Elizabeth had attempted to offer comfort.

"Well, and please don't take this the wrong way, but you don't really have much right to be commenting on that do you? You don't know me or my daughter or the circumstances. You don't understand what it's like to be separated from your child." She snapped before she could stop herself and there was a look of surprise on Elizabeth's face before she shook her head and gave her an apologetic look.

"You're absolutely right I have no idea. It wasn't my place to comment. I apologise." She said quickly and Connie looked at her for a moment before shaking her own head and sighing.

"I suppose I'd better introduce you to everyone then." She said and led her from the office and out into the main department. All the nurses and doctors were stood in the middle of the room, they were talking and moving around as they began their shift. Connie glanced at the new doctor beside her. She was short, she couldn't have been more than 5ft2inches. Her hair didn't even reach her shoulders in the braids and small parts had already come out around her face. Connie knew that she really looked endearing but she also couldn't help but wonder if she just looked like a child. Elizabeth was twenty-seven years old but she still looked like a student.

"Everyone," Connie announced loudly and there was a sudden pause and stillness around as everyone stopped and turned to face them. "This is our new consultant, Doctor Elizabeth Reed." She announced loudly before waving Elizabeth off to mingle with the others like a child being sent onto a playground.

"Oh! Beth, please." Beth requested and smiled as she moved forward towards the island in the centre where Robyn, Lofty and Zoe stood. They began to chat and all three seemed enthusiastic to learn about hospitals in America.

"Doctor Keogh can I have a word please." Connie called out and Dylan, who had been skulking near the edge of the group of people, ready to slip away, sighed before walking over to Connie.

"What?" he asked sharply and she raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't respond but simply raised one in return. She gave up and decided that what she had in store for him would be punishment enough for his lack of basic respect.

"I want you to team up with Doctor Reed and show her the ropes. Be especially harsh to break her in and get her to grips with this place. I don't want her finding this place too soft." Connie said, watching as Beth talked to Zoe enthusiastically.

"You want me to be especially harsh on her? You want me to be mean to her?" Dylan asked, not sure of Connie's reasoning.

"I don't trust her, not entirely anyway." Connie said.

"Why not? She has the qualifications I'm sure." Dylan replied, he looked at her with questioning eyes.

"Just do as I ask please." Connie said with a sigh. Dylan rolled his eyes and made to walk away but Connie stopped him.

"Also, I want you to keep an eye on her and tell me if she displays any signs of emotional instability. She has a history, her psych tests are all good now but she has a past that could make her a weakness for this department. I won't tolerate weakness." Connie said. Dylan looked at Beth with narrowed eyes.

"She seems pretty chipper to me." he commented and Connie sighed.

"That's what worries Me." she disappeared inside of her office without another word and Dylan moved forward to the desk and began sorting through cases and familiarising himself with what was coming. Zoe moved away from the small group as Robyn took over with the excited questioning.

"What did Connie want?" Zoe asked him and Dylan sighed.

"I've been put on babysitting duty." Dylan replied drily, not looking up.

"What?" Zoe asked, genuinely confused.

"I've got to show _Peggy Carter_ here the ropes of this place. Connie wants me to go hard on her." Dylan explained as he stacked the case files into a neat pile.

"You know Peggy was British right? And Beth seems really nice. You never know, you might actually make more than one friend whilst working here. Just give her a chance, don't be too harsh on her just because Connie says. You don't want to scare her away." Zoe warned.

"No I don't." Dylan replied, picking up the cases and moving around the desk. "But I kind of do want to see how much she can take before she snaps." He finished with a glint in his eyes that Zoe didn't trust.

Dylan stood for a moment and watched the American talking to Lofty and Robyn and he was intrigued. She was so happy, it put him on edge. He felt like there couldn't have been a history of her having mental instabilities. He didn't want to cause her any upset of course he didn't, he wasn't that cruel. But he did want to test her, even just a little. After all, if he was going to be stuck on babysitting duty without being paid extra, he may as well take advantage of the perks.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Other Kind of Companion**

 **Chapter 2**

Beth looked between the two nurses who were stood with her and smiled at the doctor who joined them.

"So, I'm Robyn and this is Lofty." Robyn smiled widely and gave a small wave, Lofty nodded as he was introduced and Beth smiled and nodded in return at them both.

"I'm sorry if it takes me a while to get your names, I'm terrible with names. There was one girl who I was training with and I never got her name right. I don't even remember it now." Beth replied and the nurses laughed.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Cal. Uh, Doctor Knight." Cal smiled and shook her hand warmly, he leaned against the island and grinned at her.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Cal." She smiled in return.

"So what are American hospitals like?" Robyn asked excitedly. "Are they so much more exciting than here?"

"Well not really. They actually kinda suck." Beth replied with a light shrug. "I mean healthcare isn't free in the states so people are generally in a lot of trouble when they do come in. I much prefer the system over here."

"Even though there's such a strain on the NHS because people take advantage of it." Cal narrowed his eyes at her.

"Maybe I just don't know the whole story." She shrugged again and pouted slightly.

"But are ED's in America more like they are on TV? Are they all frantic and blood everywhere?" Lofty asked, his interest peaking as he leaned forward slightly and narrowed his eyes at her in curiosity.

"They're not like they are on TV, not really. They can get pretty hectic but I'm sure that's the same here? And yeah okay, sometimes there's a fair amount of blood." She acquiesced. "But it's just as clean as it should be. Not like those shows where everything's just covered in blood."

"I wouldn't be surprised if everything was un-hygienically covered in blood if everyone stands around chatting like this all the time." A new voice said from behind Beth. The two nurses and Cal scattered immediately as Beth turned around to face the consultant stood behind her.

"My name is Doctor Keogh and Mrs Beauchamp has asked me to team up with you and show you the ropes." Dylan explained, not looking up as he jotted down a note in a small notepad he'd added to the top of a pile of cases. The consultant stood next to him, who had earlier been introduced to Beth as Zoe Hanna, rolled her eyes and walked away.

"Great!" Beth grinned and stepped over to the desk to stand opposite Dylan. "I'm very much looking forward to working with you. Sorry what are you writing down?" she asked, standing up a little straighter and trying to peer around.

"I'm merely beginning a list of all the things you're going to do wrong so I can report them back to Mrs Beauchamp. Top of the list is distracting others from work when there is work to be done. I hope the list doesn't grow too extensive although I fear it may. Idle chat is something we don't tolerate, at any point." He said harshly before snapping the notebook shut and beginning to walk away, she was quick to follow him.

"But I…" she began to defend herself.

"No." he cut her off quickly. "There's nothing you can say. This is a hospital not a mothers meeting."

"Of course. I apologise. It won't happen again." She tried, he simply scoffed in return.

She followed him around to a cubicle, he pulled back the curtain to reveal a young girl of about the age of sixteen. She had dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail and heavy make-up. Her mother sat by the side of the bed, she had a short bob of black hair and wore a business suit. She was talking into a phone. When the two doctors entered she gave them a smile and got up to leave, Dylan let her go without a word.

"This is Jessica Borle, sixteen years old and has fallen off her bike. She has two lacerations to the face with other minor contusions and what appears to be a broken wrist." Dylan explained, reading from the file that he had in front of him. Beth walked around to the other side of the bed and smiled at Jessica.

"What do I do?" Dylan asked her.

"Order an X-Ray and bloods. Do you have any other pains Jessica?" Beth asked her and she shook her head. "X-Ray and bloods." She confirmed to Dylan who nodded slowly. She paused for a moment, watching him as he jotted something else down in her notebook before rolling her eyes and turning back to the patient.

"Hi Jessica, my name's Beth." She smiled and gently took her arm. "Can you just squeeze my fingers for me." she asked and the girl whimpered as she did. "Thank you, looks like it was a nasty fall. What happened?"

"I don't know. I was cycling home from work when this cat just ran out into the road. I swerved and lost control of the bike. It skidded and fell. Are you from America?" she asked curiously and Beth nodded with a smile.

"I sure am. Chicago girl born and raised."

"That's cool, I always wanted to go." Jessica replied.

"It's great there." She smiled at her as she moved on to gently pressing on the wrist to find the break. Jessica suddenly cried out and Beth moved back. "Sorry. Can you show me where it hurts most please?" Jessica began to point at various points on her forearm and Dylan stopped writing and looked up to watch her.

Beth gently took her arm and turned it over to inspect the underside of the forearm to try and determine where the break was before the x-ray results came back. Dylan watched her work.

He didn't doubt that she knew what she was doing, she was a perfectly qualified doctor and Dylan almost felt like he was being too harsh on her as Zoe had thought he might. But in a way he resented her. She was too happy and that made him nervous. He didn't believe that anyone could have as few cares as she seemed to. Even now as she inspected the girls arm she was chatting to her with ease; she was smiling and laughing and telling her stories about her life in America and an old case she'd had where someone had broken their wrist by falling out of bed. It was working in distracting the girl from her pain and she laughed and so Dylan felt relieved. He hated having to connect with patients.

He returned his focus to her hands and the work she was doing as she gently pressed along the girls arm to find the broken bone, he knew she was checking how far out the bone protruded in order to confirm there was no chance of an arterial bleed beneath the surface. But he was drawn to the girls arm, Beth had to have noticed it but she was choosing to ignore it. But up the girls arm were very clear burn scars. They looked like they'd come from a cigarette butt. Some were more recent than others. They worried Dylan, he needed to know the girls history.

"Excuse me, sorry for intruding Doctor Reed. But where did you get those burns?" he asked, pointing to the scars. Both young women paused and looked at Dylan with confused eyes. Beth widened her eyes and tried to shake her head slightly but Dylan refused to look at her, he kept his eyes in contact with Jessica.

"I just, I um…" she mumbled but Dylan shook his head and leaned toward her, lowering his voice.

"Jessica, it's alright. You can tell us. Is someone hurting you?" he asked and Beth closed her eyes and sighed momentarily, letting her head bow.

"No." Jessica said quietly before suddenly shouting and yanking her arm away from Beth. "No! You don't know anything! How dare you! I don't want to be treated anymore. I want to go home. Let me go home." She exclaimed loudly with tears coming to her. She was clearly in pain.

"Jessica, please, we just want to help you." Beth replied calmly with a slight smile in an attempt to calm her but she shook her head and clutched her injured arm to her chest, hiding the burns from them.

"No. I'm going home. Now." She said and pouted, staring straight ahead.

"Jessica, please?" Dylan pleaded but she refused to say anymore let alone look at them.

"Alright then." Dylan sighed before gesturing to Beth. They left the cubicle and Dylan called over Lofty and asked him to dress the wounds on her face and stitch those up.

"Looks like abuse, probably not from the mother, more likely a father or step-father." Dylan said to Beth.

"You probably could have been a bit more delicate about it." She replied. Her tone was light but Dylan felt like she was criticising him. He didn't say anything just looked at her with a raised eyebrow, challenging her to continue. "I mean we're here to treat her wounds not invade her privacy."

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot you're the new expert on how to be the perfect doctor!" Dylan exclaimed sarcastically, Beth took a step back in alarm. "I've got an idea, how about you do your job and let me do mine in the way I see best fitting. Sound good to you? Great." He hissed before turning on his heel and walking briskly away, leaving Beth stood outside the cubicle, very confused and slightly offended.

She sighed and shook her head before instinctively placing her right hand on her left elbow as she turned back around to peer through the gap at Jessica who was allowing Lofty to treat the cuts to her face. She knew that there was something more, something that didn't feel like abuse, she knew cases of abuse and she knew cases of self-harm. She could tell the difference all too easily.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Other Kind of Companion**

 **Chapter 3**

"I don't care, I need that report yesterday so make sure it's on my desk by the time I get back to work." The mother with the black bob said into her phone before hanging up. Dylan sighed as he watched her finish her call before approaching.

"Excuse me, Mrs Borle?" he got her attention before resuming his usual stance of his hands on his hips.

"Yes?" the woman asked, confusion etched across her pretty features.

"When we were treating Jessica we found some scars on her arm. Scars that looked to be made by a cigarette butt. Some of them are fairly recent. We don't want to accuse anyone of anything but we would like to know how Jessica got those scars and if necessary we will call the police." Dylan explained calmly.

"I'm sorry? I don't quite understand what you're implying." The woman replied, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not implying anything. A young girl has been hurt and I want to know how she got those burns. It's part of my duty of care as a doctor." He replied coolly.

"You think I did that to her? Or my husband?" she asked defensively before leaning forward and hissing right into his face. "I think you need to learn your place and understand very clearly that your nose is not welcome in some places. Stay out of our business. And I will be filing a formal complaint against you."

With her last remark she turned on her heel and stomped away in the direction of Mrs Beauchamp's office. Dylan didn't care about a complaint, he cared about his patient. He cared about his reputation. As he made his way back to the bed where Jessica was waiting he passed the nurses station.

"Ben, please can you call social services and the police for me. Thank you." He instructed clearly. Lofty nodded and picked up the phone to do so as Dylan moved off back towards the curtained cubicle. He stopped just outside as he heard voices coming from inside. He peered through the gap in the curtain and saw Beth sitting next to Jessica on the bed, their bodies were angled towards one another and he couldn't see either of their faces. Beth was in the process of shrugging off her blazer.

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." she told Jessica who was staring at her hands in her lap. "Truthfully I understand absolutely everything you're going through. I really do. I'm honestly one hundred percent here for you, I'm not here for anyone else, just you." She said and placed her blazer to one side. She extended her arm out and showed Jessica her left forearm, she placed it in such a way that Dylan could see. Up her arm were faint, red lines; they were almost invisible, Dylan had to strain his eyes to see them.

"I used to self-harm because I thought it was the best way to express my emotions. I thought it was the only way I could gain control over the things in my life. Most of the time people don't even notice the scars, sometimes I wonder if they're even real or if they're only there because I know they're there. It's like my brain is constantly reminding me that I did it and that it was a mistake I made. But whilst I once thought it was the best thing to do, the best way to deal with my problems, I realised that it wasn't. That there were better ways of expressing my feelings of hopelessness. I got help." Beth explained calmly, her voice was even and betrayed no emotion. She was in control of how much she could tell people.

"You don't understand." Jessica said sadly, tracing her fingers up and down her left arm which was now encased in a cast.

"Don't I?" Beth asked.

"No. My mum told me I was being a stupid idiot when she found out. She doesn't care. She won't help me get help. Yes I self-harm. I do it because I feel worthless and out of control all of the time. There's no other way for me to feel like I have something to hold on to, some way of feeling anything other than a complete crushing sadness." Jessica replied.

"Your mom might not be able to help you, she might not understand. But there are people out there who do. There are people who can help you I promise you that. You're literally hearing it from someone who's gone through it all already. I can be here for you right now and make sure you get the best help. I promise you that."

"I don't know if I can stop." Jessica said quietly.

"Most of those scars look pretty old. It looks to me like you haven't harmed in a while which is good. It's a good first step." Beth said encouragingly and there was a pause before Jessica wordlessly lifted her shirt, revealing more recent burns on her stomach and hip.

"When mum found out I had to hide them from her or else she just got angry." Jessica explained.

"Okay, well don't worry. It's going to be fine. We can still get you some help. I will help you to stop. But it will only work if you're willing to work with them." She said.

"I want to stop. Really I do."

"So do you promise me that if I help you get the help, you'll stop?" Beth asked and there was a moment's pause before Jessica nodded.

"Yes I'll stop. I promise." She swore and both Beth and Dylan believed her.

"Good girl. Your mom loves you, that's why she freaks out. She just wants to protect you." Beth said as she picked up her blazer and began to shrug it on, standing up. Jessica opened her mouth to reply but caught sight of Dylan standing outside the curtain. He pushed through and Beth finished putting on her blazer hastily.

"Alright Jessica, I see you're patched up nicely." Dylan said with all the sincerity he could muster. "I think you're just about ready to be discharged."

"Thank you. I do feel much better." Jessica smiled at them both and Dylan nodded, Beth smiled back.

"If there's anything we can do to help?" Beth asked but Jessica shook her head.

"I know what to do and where to go. Thank you." She said and the two young women smiled at one another knowingly.

"Very well, I'll see to it that you're discharged. Doctor Reed a word please." Dylan said and gestured for Beth to walk with him outside of the cubicle. He decided he would explain things to the police and social services when they got there, how there was a misunderstanding and it wouldn't happen again.

"Good work huh?" Beth smiled at him, shrugging and burying her hands in her pockets. She grinned at him like she'd suddenly proven herself in his eyes.

"Admittedly, I'm impressed that you managed to get her to trust us again. I heard everything you said and I'm very sorry to hear about your past feelings." Dylan said truthfully and Beth nodded.

"It's okay. What's in the past is in the past." Beth smiled sincerely.

"However," Dylan began harshly and her smile wavered slightly. "Using your past to gain a patients trust is almost unacceptable. Patients need to be able to trust fully in their doctors and they can't do that if they have even the slightest doubt about their doctor's mental wellbeing. You need to learn to keep your private life, private." He scolded her before turning and walking away, leaving her to stare after him with a mixture of annoyance and hurt on her face.

Dylan didn't want to be so harsh with her, honestly he knew what kind of a feeling it was to be in that low a place. After what had happened with Sam and Tom he'd been in a bad place, he'd never self-harmed but he'd often thought of it. He didn't think it was right for Beth to be using her personal life to gain trust from the patients. He had made a mistake in the way he'd handled the situation he was happy to take the blame on that one, but he was only trying to do what he deemed to be right.

He felt threatened by Beth. She was a young, new consultant who was still finding her footing but was still more likeable than he was, he wanted to help people, but he wanted to do it in an academic way. He was scared that in a way, Beth was going to replace him. He knew that he could learn as much from her as she could from him but as he watched her now, stood alone, in the middle of the busy emergency department. He couldn't help but pity her.

And he hated to feel pity. It made him bitter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Robyn checked her phone for the third time that lunch break and sighed as she took another bite out of her sandwich.

"Hey!" She looked up suddenly and saw Beth coming through the door and grinning. "Robyn, right?" She asked, looking worried as she came and sat next to Robyn.

"Yeah, good memory." Robyn smiled and put down her phone.

"Thanks." She laughed and then sighed. "My lunch break was meant to start fifteen minutes ago but that Doctor Keogh has got me working like a pack horse. It's crazy! Is he always so mean too?"

"Doctor Keogh is…. Interesting." Robyn smiled comfortingly but Beth raised an eyebrow.

"He berated me and gave me a three and a half minute lecture because I forgot to dot one 'i' on a patient's sheet. He said that spelling and grammar was the most important part of a functioning ED." Beth informed her and Robyn nodded slowly.

"Okay, firstly, he's just very pernickety and probably just wants to break you in. He's also probably in a bad mood. Secondly, you timed it?" She asked with a grin.

"There was a clock behind his head and I was bored." Beth rolled her eyes and sighed and Robyn couldn't help but laugh. "He just seems so cruel. I've not done anything wrong, I've had a great first day! I have had the best first day I've ever had and he's just ripping me apart! Is he always like this?"

"No, not always. But he can be pretty mean. I guess we're all just used to him. You should talk to Lofty, he really has it in for him but Lofty never gives up and is always extra nice to him! We all believe that he can be softened with a few kind words and gestures." Robyn explained before taking another bite out of her sandwich.

"Do you? Do you really believe that?" Beth asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at her, there was a smile in her eyes and Robyn knew that she wasn't intending to be mean, she was just frustrated and Robyn didn't blame her. She'd been watching the pair of them for the morning and Doctor Keogh did seem to have been particularly harsh on Beth; especially for someone who was foreign and working in a new place for the first time and on her first day. He seemed to be very intent on breaking her. Robyn didn't like to think ill of anybody but she had noticed Mrs Beauchamp talking to him before he'd introduced himself to Beth and she wondered whether he'd been put up to it. She knew that he was a particularly grumpy person but she didn't believe he was always so cruel, or had the capacity to dislike Beth for long.

"Listen. Doctor Keogh, Dylan, is actually a really nice guy when he wants to be. He's a fantastic doctor too. I know he seems pretty mean but actually he's a massive softie once you get to know him." Robyn said, finishing off her sandwich and closing up her tupperware box. She clapped her hands together to disperse of the crumbs and leaned forward on the table, mimicking Beth's actions.

"A big softie? Really? I can't believe that. He seems more like Scrooge than Santa." Beth commented.

"I don't think he'd put on a santa costume if you asked him but he is actually a really great guy. You just need to let him settle in and get to know him. He also doesn't really like working with people. That's probably bugging him, he's adamant about working alone. He's not even a fan of working with the nurses." Robyn explained, thinking hard about something. Beth looked at her quizzically and shrugged.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked and Robyn looked at her suddenly with narrowed eyes.

"I'm just thinking that Doctor Keogh doesn't like working with people and he especially doesn't like getting to know new people. He's not a particularly good person to try and make friends with so that'll be too difficult. But on a professional level… His life revolves around his work, right? Maybe what you really need to do is impress him and then he'll be more friendly." Robyn suggested enthusiastically and Beth laughed.

"I'm being serious!" Robyn defended herself. "If you seriously impress him then he won't be able to criticise you and will have to be nicer to you."

Beth nodded slowly with narrowed eyes before turning her head into a shaking motion.

"Why not? What do you have to lose?" Robyn asked.

"How am I expected to impress someone who hates me! You said it yourself he's not a friendly person so how am I meant to impress someone who struggles to even make friends. Studies suggest that we choose to befriend people who impress us in order to gain more rank and status within social circles. So the two concepts go hand in hand. If I can't befriend him then he's clearly a difficult man to impress. And if he's a difficult man to impress then how am I expected to be able to impress him? I'm just a simply girl from Chicago, I'm not a miracle worker." Beth smiled and Robyn laughed at her joke.

"I think you're being a little harsh. Both on yourself and on him. I'm sure there's something that can impress him. And Hanssen himself got you the job here, you must have something special you can use to impress him?" Robyn asked, resting her chin on her hand and looking at her. She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath, releasing it as a sigh.

"Oh come on!" Robyn laughed and Beth laughed too. "There must be something you're awesome at. Come give me a lowdown of your resume."

"Okay. I am fluent in French, Spanish and Italian." She ticked each language off on her fingers. "I graduated top of my class from Seattle General Hospital and then worked there to become the youngest medical consultant in the history of the hospital. I worked there for a couple of years where I had a rating of ninety-six percent from my patients, the highest out of all the medical consultants. I then relocated back to Chicago where I worked on wards and had a success and survival rate of ninety-two percent, I was second best there. Wherever I've worked and trained I've had a reputation of being friendly and approachable, I'm easily able to empathise with patients and connect with them. My patients always trust me and I learned from the best. My father personally mentored me in my field which is paediatrics and I was the youngest consultant to win the doctor of the year award for the state of Illinois." She concluded breathlessly with a grin and Robyn was wide eyed.

"That is impressive." She nodded enthusiastically.

"Very impressive." Doctor Keogh said from the doorway and Beth spun around quickly and stood up as Robyn also looked around worriedly. "However, completely irrelevant until proven useful."

Beth furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes as she looked at him before taking a deep breath and clearing her expression to replace it with a smile.

"Well you know what an award means? It means I reserve the right to be an arrogant cow but I'm not so you guys should be grateful." She grinned and Robyn giggled but Dylan remained as stony faced as ever, so much so that Robyn's giggles quickly stopped and she stood up to put her lunchbox back in her locker.

"Awards don't necessary result in arrogance. I've received awards in my time as a doctor, do you perceive me to be arrogant?" He asked defensively and Beth took a deep breath.

"No it was just a joke." She explained slowly.

"A joke? You think, as doctors, that jokes are appropriate? This is a hospital not a comedy club. Jokes have no place amongst medicine." He replied coldly.

"Some people think that laughter is the best medicine." Beth retorted, her smile faltering a little and her eyes narrowing stonily to rival his own.

"Well those people would be worng, there is no scientific or medical research to support their theories." He replied just as heatedly and Robyn looked between them like it was a tennis match. She thought that if they weren't such polar opposites she would be rooting for them to shut up and kiss.

"Not everything relies on research, sometimes a human interaction is enough to prove anything." Beth replied just as quickly and Dylan was the one to pause; Robyn didn't think she'd ever seen anyone outwit Doctor Keogh before in the whole time she'd known him. She didn't know if it was sexual tension or genuine tension brewing between the pair of them but she could most definitely feel it, the atmosphere was so intense as they glared at each other that she felt she could cut it with a knife.

"I think your lunch break is over." Dylan said finally, his voice was so quiet it gave both Beth and Robyn chills, but Beth was better at disguising this. "There's a bike crash coming in. All hands on deck. Let's go." He said and turned and left the room. Beth let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and leaned against the table, her tension suddenly disappearing as she returned to her lighthearted persona.

"Jesus that was intense." Robyn said as she walked over to stand beside her.

"That's what it's been like all morning." Beth informed her.

"I know it doesn't seem like it," Robyn said placing a hand on Beth's arm. "But I think he actually really likes you."

Beth didn't respond and just laughed as she pushed herself away from the table and together they headed for the door.

"Good luck though," Robyn smiled at her, "you're going to need it."


	5. Chapter 5

2340

 **Chapter 5**

Dylan pulled back the curtain to reveal their next patient but he needn't have bothered to explain much. Sat on the bed, being partially restrained by Robyn and Lofty, a woman was struggling and babbling quickly in a language that Dylan didn't know enough of to place. She had long dark hair and tanned skin and was clearly in pain and in distress, they imagined from a large gash on her left forearm.

'Por favor, usted no entiende! Tengo que salir de inmediato, no pertenezco acqui.' She babbled, repeating the same phrases over and over again. Dylan stepped forward and Beth followed him tentatively.

'Alright, hello, my name is Doctor Keogh and this is my colleague Doctor Reed, we just want to have a look at your arm and see if we can get you patched up.' Dylan explained calmly but the woman ignored him and continued to struggle against the nurse's grips, looking around with wild eyes.

'Please, just calm down, we only want to help you.' Dylan tried to say calmly but he was clearly losing his patience. 'If you could just let me have a look at your arm.' He tried to reach out and touch her arm and she let out a short, sharp shriek and yanked her arm away from him. Lofty and Robyn tightened their grip on her and tried to speak soothing words but she continued to cry out and struggle.

'Oh this is useless!' Dylan huffed and threw his arms up in a gesture of defeat as he turned away. Beth pushed past him and leaned forward towards the woman.

'Por favor seňora, puede confiar en nosotros somos medicos. No le hára daňo queremos arreglar usted, por favor, vamos a echar vistazo a su brazo lesionado.¿Está bien?' She said to the woman who was so shocked at the doctor's ability to speak her language that she stopped struggling and looked at Beth with wide eyes and silence. Beth gave her a small smile and gestured to her arm.

'¿Está bien?' She repeated and the woman nodded slowly as she extended her arm towards Beth who took it gently and accepted some cleaning equipment from Lofty with a gentle thanks. Dylan watched in surprise as Beth began to clean the wound gently and the woman clearly began to relax.

'¿Cómo has llegado hasta aquí?' Beth asked and the woman swallowed and leant back on the bed.

'La ambulancia me trajo aquí.' She said quietly and Beth gave her an encouraging smile.

'¿Quién lo llamó? ¿Hay alguien que podemos llamar para usted ?'

'No.' The woman replied sadly and Dylan let out a small cough to remind Beth that he was still there. Beth turned to look at him for a second before turning back to the woman.

'¿Habla usted Inglés?' She asked and the woman paused before nodding slowly. 'Great!' Beth grinned, 'I just think my colleagues were starting to feel a bit left out.'

'Yes, we were a little.' Dylan said and the woman seemed to flinch a little but Beth ignored him.

'Can you tell us your name?' She asked and the woman looked at her with wide eyes as if still deciding if she could trust her.

'Rosa.' She said eventually and Beth smiled.

'Hi Rosa, my name is Beth.' She smiled and Rosa gave her a weak smile in return. 'Rosa doesn't have anyone else, an ambulance brought her in.' she explained for Dylan's benefit and he huffed slightly.

'Alright Rosa, well you're in good hands now I promise. Beth is an excellent doctor and I'm better.' He said and Beth smiled and feigned a pantomime shock.

'He never compliments me.' She grinned at Rosa who grew more relaxed. Dylan nodded to Robyn and Lofty who left them to it. Beth had finished cleaning her arm and examined it as if continued to bleed.

'Doesn't look like you've nicked any arteries which is a good sign, but you're going to need some glue and some stitches because it's pretty nasty. How did you do it?' She asked and Rosa looked embarrassed.

'I was attacked by a bird, a hawk. I work at a bird sanctuary.' She explained and Beth nodded.

'That's cool though. We'll give you a tetanus shot too just to be safe.' She said and Rosa nodded.

'I'll grab a nurse and they'll stitch you up and you'll be good to go!' Beth smiled and placed a bandage firmly over the wound, but Rosa reached out and took her arm quickly.

'No, please, can you do it?' She asked and Dylan rolled his eyes behind her back as Beth looked to him. It annoyed her.

'Of course I'll do it for you.' She smiled comfortingly and Rosa seemed at ease again.

Dylan stayed and watched while Beth applied the glue steadily to the wound and pressed the skin together to make it stick and to make it easier to stitch together.

'Where are you from?' Rosa asked her and Beth smiled as she prepared the needle and thread.

'Chicago, the United States of America.' She replied and Rosa smiled.

'You trained there?' She asked and Beth smiled as she pinched the skin together.

'No, actually I trained and worked in Seattle. I lived there for a very long time away from home, I guess I made a new home.' She explained, Dylan noticed that she was keeping Rosa distracted whilst she applied the first stitch.

'By made a new home you mean met a man?' Rosa asked and Beth raised an eyebrow as she prepared for the second stitch.

'How did you know that?' She asked with a smile.

'I am an older woman than you. I always know when people mean met a man. But why did you move to England if you had this man in America?' Rosa asked and Beth applied the second stitch and took a deep breath.

'My dad's a surgeon, he knows the CEO of this hospital, Mr Hanssen, and so I managed to sneak my way in.' she explained as she clipped the thread and prepared the third stitch.

'You didn't answer my question,' Rosa said knowingly and Beth smiled weakly but shifted her weight uncomfortably as she applied the third and fourth stitch. To her, twelve seemed like an awfully big number at that moment. 'Why did you leave your man in America? What was your life like with him?'

'I just prefer the work, my career is more important to me than any man.' She said as she applied the fifth stitch and prepared the sixth.

'But what about you?' She asked quickly. 'Where are you from? Your accent sounds genuinely Spanish? I've only ever really spoken to South Americans in Spanish before.' Beth changed the subject quickly as she applied the sixth stitch.

'Yes, I am from Madrid. I moved over here when I married twenty years ago. My husband died, he had cancer and now I am here alone.' She said and Beth gave her a smile full of pity as she applied the seventh stitch.

'You can't be entirely alone? You never had kids?' Beth asked and Rosa shook her head sadly.

'No, never. Do you?' She asked as Beth applied the eighth stitch and laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at the question, but Rosa took it as a response to her question.

'I think you would make an excellent mother, very caring and very bright. Your child would be very lucky.' Rosa said and Beth smiled warmly as she applied the tenth stitch.

'Perhaps your doctor friend here could be the father.' Rosa grinned cheekily and Dylan, who had done his utmost to focus on examining Beth's work and tune out their conversation, started suddenly and blushed deeply whilst Beth laughed suddenly and had to pause between the eleventh and twelfth stitch to catch herself.

'I don't think that's entirely appropriate.' Dylan mumbled, embarrassed to be called out on such a thing in such a crude way by a patient.

'No it's probably not,' Beth giggled as she regained control of herself and applied the final stitch. 'Besides, look at him, he would be awful father material. He doesn't know how to smile.'

Beth grinned as she cut off the thread and cleaned the wound gently again. Dylan looked anywhere but at her. Beth finished cleaning up after herself before she smiled at Rosa.

'Okay Rosa, everything looks good to go so I'll go ahead and discharge you. You'll need to book an appointment with your local doctor to have the stitches removed and make sure you keep it clean so it doesn't get infected okay? And maybe stay away from the birds for a while.' Beth gave her a tight smile and Rosa grinned back.

'Thank you very much Doctor Reed. I think you might have cured my fear of hospitals. Thank you again.' She grinned and took Beth's hand, squeezing it gently. Beth squeezed it back before turning and leaving the cubicle. Dylan followed her and drew the curtain behind him, leaving Rosa to gather her belongings in peace.

He felt awkward and embarrassed by what had been said in the cubicle and he didn't doubt that, whilst she was good at hiding it, Beth was feeling the same. As she approached the nurse's station and took Rosa's file from the pile, the warm glow in her eyes had disappeared and her face was tight. Dylan assumed that it was what had been said that had affected her so suddenly.

But he couldn't deny that she had done an excellent job with that past patient. Rosa had been difficult to say the least in the beginning and if it had just been him then he didn't doubt that the police would have ended up being required. But what he had overheard Beth saying to Robyn had been correct; she did have other skills and she was a good doctor. She was compassionate and kind and had a way of easily connecting with her patients, something which Dylan knew he lacked sometimes. He had been quick to berate Beth throughout the day and call her up on her mistakes, but he was a fair man and was happy to give credit where it was due.

'Doctor Reed, uh, Beth.' He greeted her as he slowly walked up to stand beside her. She looked up from the form and gave him a forced smile, she seemed to be in a worse mood than Dylan had initially realised but he was determined to change that.

'What can I do for you doctor Keogh?' She asked and Dylan cleared his throat.

'I just wanted to say that you did very well in there, and I am impressed.' He said and expected her body to lift slightly in relief. But instead she just scoffed and raised an eyebrow as she scribbled her signature.

'Well that's certainly a change of tune from you. Thanks I guess, for honouring me with your approval as the superior doctor.' She muttered quietly before placing the form firmly back on top of the pile and taking the copy. She turned on her heel and strode through the department towards the doors which led out to the reception to retrieve her next patient.

Dylan watched her leave in disbelief and shock. He couldn't believe in himself that he had tried to go against his orders, he'd tried to like her, but it was very clear that the pair of them were never going to get along.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

After Beth snapped at him, Dylan decided it was best to give her some distance and observe her from afar. That didn't mean that he could stop doing his own work though. He left her to take on her own cases from then on and he took on patients of his own, occaisionally shooting glances in her general direction for signs of weakness. Every time he looked up to catch her out, however, she was always smiling and laughing with patients, treating them with tender care and affection whilst remaining completely professional. She created easy relationships with her patients and that helped them to be more honest with her, helping her to diagnose and discharge them faster. None of her patients breached the four hours time slot but they all seemed extremely satisfied. She easily seemed to get along with the nurses and even the other doctors. It was just Dylan she now seemed to have a personal grievance with, and she had good reason.

Dylan couldn't help but feel bad about how he had treated her throughout her very first day in a completely new environment. He was ashamed in himself and ashamed in Connie, he knew that neither of them had intended to be cruel to her but something had obviously struck a nerve and he was worried that it would impact their professional relationship. Dylan wasn't in the habit of making friends, in fact he prided himself in his sincere lack of them, but he liked the fact that he was able to work with any member of staff within the department with a degree of professional friendliness. He didn't have any personal disputes with anyone, and he didn't want to start that now. He wouldn't let people affect his work.

He resolved to himself that he would give Beth until the end of the day, for fear of her not having had enough time to cool down, and then he would attempt an apology. He admitted that apologies weren't his forte and he worried about how he would go about it but he decided that it was important to try, for the sake of his work.

Little did he know that Beth was thinking very similar thoughts. She too kept a weary eye on him and tried her best not to be noticed, she knew that he was watching her. She'd come dangerously close to catching his eye once or twice but had managed to avoid the awkward contact that would follow.

The truth was, she liked Dylan. She admired him and respected him and he had been a doctor longer than her. She was eager to learn from him and wanted the opportunity to work alongside him more to study his methods and learn ways of medicine she'd yet to be exposed to.

It hadn't been Dylan that had caused her to snap earlier that day, it had been the uncomfortable circumstances, the drawing up of her past that she didn't want to think about. She had come to England to escape from the world behind her, she didn't need this kind of reminder on her very first day. She could deal with mentionings of her past life, of course, but it frustrated her that it had become a reminder on her very first day of her new life.

The shift drew to a close and Beth finished with her final patient before Dylan finished with his. When he was done he walked into the break room to collect his things, he found Beth in there brushing out her hair so it frizzed down to her shoulders. She looked sweet. Dylan paused for a moment in the doorway, unsure of how to begin but knowing that this privacy wouldn't last for long and eventually others coming off of their shifts would barge into the room.

"Beth…" Dylan began and took a step forward as she slammed her locker door shut and turned, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She jumped slightly in shock but managed to mask it with a smile that didn't seem quite so forced this time.

"Doctor Keogh, you scared me." She laughed and he attempted a smile but gave up on it quickly.

"Um, Dylan, please." He said slowly, unsure as to why he was so nervous.

"Oh, sure." She smiled and nodded. They stood in an awkward silence for a moment before both speaking at the same time.

"I actually wanted to talk to you…" Beth began whilst Dylan blurted out, "I need to say something…"

They both stopped and Beth burst into one of her endearing giggles again whilst Dylan placed a hand on his forehead and rubbed it, why was it so difficult to just get one word out?

"You go first." He requested, motioning to her as she smiled at him, but there was something embarrassed about her smile.

"I wanted to apologise for earlier. I was totally out of line with the way I was so snippy and sarcastic. That's not usually me at all, I don't really know what happened. But I shouldn't have lashed out at you after all you've done for me today, so I'm sorry. And also thank you, I was really nervous this morning when I came in and I actually found your method of showing me around to be very rewarding and helpful. So, uh, thanks and sorry." She spoke fast in a rambling type manner and Dylan felt a flush of embarrassment.

"I actually wanted to apologise to you for the way I treated you today, I was rude and abrasive and you did very well." He told her truthfully and she smiled warmly at him and his succinticity.

"Well, uh, I'll forgive you if you forgive me, deal?" She asked, holding out her hand to him. He observed it with a slightly startled surprise for a second before nodding quickly and stepping forward to take her hand, it was warm and small in his. She smiled at him and he found himself oddly intrigued by her and their hands remained together for a few moments until they were interrupted by Robyn.

"Beth!" Robyn called upon entering and their hands dropped as Dylan moved out of the way to allow Robyn access to her newest friend. She was already changed and ready to go, Lofty and Max followed behind her.

"We're off to the pub for some post-shift drinks, would you care to join us?" Robyn asked and Beth grinned.

"That sounds great!" She replied enthusiastically and Robyn turned to Dylan, almost sympathetically.

"You're welcome to come along too, Doctor Keogh? To celebrate Beth's first day?" She attempted but Dylan shook his head firmly.

"No thank you, but thank you for the invite." He replied coolly. Beth seemed to want to say something to him but Robyn had hold of her arm and was whisking her out of the door and away. She barely had a chance to turn her head and waggle her fingers at him in a goodbye. He raised his hand in response and fought back a smile. He watched them whisk her away and wondered how long it would be before he was whisked away too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

In the few months that followed Connie kept a very close eye on Beth. She didn't like new people who might pose some kind of threat to her or her department. She gradually warmed to Beth little by little as she saw her work hard and get along well with everyone, she was always in good spirits and was a competent doctor. Connie still had her doubts but that all changed one day.

She was coming off of onto her break and she was looking forward to a well-earned cup of tea. The doors to the break room were shut and she paused for a moment outside of the door as she heard giggles coming from within. She peered through the glass and saw a sight she hadn't expected. Firstly, Grace was in there, she hadn't been expecting Grace until later when she finished school but she was in the break room now, laughing excitedly and hanging onto the hands of Beth who stood opposite her and was grinning as she explained her art. Connie watched as they danced backwards and forwards, Grace faltered plenty but Beth seemed to have endless patience and the pair of them giggled as Grace continued to step on Beth's small feet. Beth was only slightly taller than Grace but the pair of them made good dance partners.

'Something wrong Mrs Beauchamp?' Lofty asked as he moved around her and towards the door, it was here that he heard the giggles coming from within but he had already pushed on the door handle and begun to push the door inward.

'No, wait…' Connie began but it was too late. Lofty and Connie had been spotted by Beth and Grace who paused in their dance and turned to see them. A slight blush crept over Beth's face as the four of them looked at one another in varying stages of discomfort and shock. Suddenly Grace broke the awkwardness and lunged forward.

'Look mum!' She exclaimed grabbing Connie by the arm and pulling her forward. Lofty also moved forward tentatively and Beth gave him a smile.

'What's going on here?' Connie asked with a small smile, the sight had been entertaining even if not entirely appropriate for their work environment.

'Beth's teaching me how to cha-cha! Isn't that cool?' Grace replied enthusiastically and Lofty grinned at the floor.

'I used to know how to cha-cha.' He reminisced and Grace's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of another dance partner.

'Come on mum you have to do it too! Show me again Beth!' Grace let go of Connie's arm and grabbed Beth's hands again, demanding to be taught. Beth's blush faltered and she couldn't resist Grace's charm, despite Connie's presence. Beth and Grace took up their dance again with Beth giving clear instructions and giggling along with Grace when she happened to make a wrong step.

'Come on mum!' Grace demanded, letting go of Beth and taking up her mother's hands, forcing her to dance. 'You too!' She demanded of Lofty and, forgetting herself, Beth took up Lofty's hands and they also began to dance. The four of them danced together and switched partners, forgetting professional boundaries and instead just enjoying the dance and the company. They were lucky not to attract an audience except for Dylan.

He made to enter the break room and caught sight of them, they remained unaware of him, however. He watched them for a few moments in surprise before simply turning and retreating from the strange scene.

Once the dance was over and Grace was confined to the sofa to complete homework, Lofty had returned to working and Beth was ending her break as Connie was beginning hers.

'So when and where did you learn to cha-cha?' Connie asked lightly and Beth smiled.

'I didn't always want to be a doctor, in my teenage years I desperately wanted to be a dancer so I demanded to have all the dance lessons. I'm a little rusty.' She grinned in response and Connie returned the smile.

'Well I think you might have inspired someone.' She replied and they both snuck a glimpse of Grace who was still tapping the steps with her feet as she sat concentrating on a textbook. The pair of them giggled like schoolgirls as they watched her and from that moment onwards, Connie decided that she liked Beth.

Whenever they interacted with one another, or when she saw her interacting with patients she only seemed to show her good traits and Connie respected her sweetness and way with patients. She could bring around even the grumpiest of old men, to liking her and she seemed to genuinely enjoy her job. For as much as she could, Connie did her best to have Dylan and Beth paired up on cases so that they could influence one another.

Connie deeply respected Dylan but even by her standards he had some issues with his bedside manners. When Beth was working with him there was a certain degree of counteraction, Dylan was sour but Beth was sweet and they balanced one another out well. This pairing didn't always work out for them though, Dylan in particular often grew annoyed with Beth and her light-heartedness.

The problem was that when he did grow annoyed with her she would always do the exact same thing; she would laugh sweetly and place a hand on his arm telling him to 'stop grumping' and informing him that it would 'age him before his years' with a wink before she would saunter off to continue her errands. Beth meant it in a friendly way and truth be told, Dylan couldn't remain genuinely annoyed at her for long, his displeasure never had a justified cause and he often felt bad for being annoyed but if ever he tried to apologise she wouldn't let him.

He never could quite decide if he actually liked her or not. He knew that she was a likeable enough person and she was smart and very capable as a doctor, she never allowed her work performance to be hindered and if seriousness was required of her she was more than capable of attending to patients in a serious but tender way, something he had never been capable of and envied to a degree. She was an excellent doctor but she also retained an ability to behave exceedingly childishly at times. For example a few times he had caught her making faces behind his back at the nurses or even other doctors. The problem was, everyone else liked her and he knew it would just be easier to like her and be done with it. There was just something about her which niggled constantly in his brain and he disliked this about her. He couldn't help it, it was just a natural feeling.

He put it down to her constant cheerfulness, he didn't trust it. He never trusted someone who was always smiling, he knew that they were the kind of people who harboured dark secrets and these were what he didn't trust. But her secrets were her own business and he had no intention of ever finding them out, he just wished that his feelings towards her could be simpler.


End file.
